Electric-railway system



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' D. G. WEEMS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Patented May 19,1891.

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No. 452,741. Patented May 19, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID G. VEEMS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE WEEMS ELECTRIC RAILIVAY SYSTEM, OF VEST VIRGINIA.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,741, dated May 19, 1891.

Application filed March 13, 1890. Renewed October 25, 1890. $erial No. 369,324. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID G. VVEEMS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Railway Systems, of which the following is a full and clear description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a train of cars constructed according to my in- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional View, partly in elevation. Fig.4isacross-sectional view showing a car with supplemental selflubricating roller-bearings adapted to travel beneath the flanges of the main rails. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate various forms of wedgeshaped or parabolic points for the end cars of the train. Fig. 8 is a front view of the car with arrows, showing the manner in which the air is displaced.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in electric-railway systems designed either for passenger traffic or for the carrying of mail or parcels at a high rate of speed over a surface, overhead, or underground track, the train being propelled and, if desired, heated and lighted by an electric current supplied from any suitable source; and my invention consists in the arrangement, construction, and combination of parts, which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

The object of my invention is to improve the several systems heretofore patented to me with a view to reducing to a minimum the frictional resistance of the air and to so locate and lubricate the moving parts that greatlyincreased speed is obtained without a material increase in the force of the electric current.

The frame or casing A of the locomotive or car in the present instance is of any suitable design and construction and composed wholly of metal, or of part metal and part wood, and provided with internal chambers or housings A, in which the bearing-wheels B are located and adapted to freely revolve. These wheels are keyed or otherwise fixed to the opposite ends of a sleeve 0, which extends transversely across the locomotive or car and is bored centrally and fitted to revolve upon the main shaft or axle D, whose opposite ends carry and are in fixed blocks Z) inside the frame or casing A. This axle or shaft is a stationary one, and the loose sleeve which carries the bearing-wheels at its ends also carries at its central portion or at a point between these ends any well-known form of armature E, to which the commutator E is secured, the said armature being locatedwithin the fields F, as shown. It will thus be seen that the bearing-wheels, the armature, and the commutator are all fixed to the sleeve and revolve together with said sleeve around the stationary axis D, whereby the electrical force coming from the fields drives the armature, which, being fixed to the same sleeve which carries the bearing-wheels, drives these wheels by direct motion. 0

By locating the bearing-wheels within the housings inside of the frame or casing A, I am enabled to dispense with all exterior housings, journal-boxes, springs, or other accessories, and at the same time by the arrangement of the armature upon the sleeve I am permitted to utilize the whole central portion of the armature or as much thereof as may be desired as a bearing-surface. In addition to these features I cast or otherwise form with the central portion of the sleeve 0 an internal chamber G, within which maybe placed a considerable amount of lubricating material, which will find its way to the bearings c, which are keyed to the sleeve and revolve freely therewith around the fixed axle. By this means the bearings are constantly supplied with a full supply of oil or other lubricant.

Between the blocks 1) on the ends of the fixed axle and a portion of the frame or casing above are placed heavy springs or cushions H, upon which the weight of the frame or casing of the locomotive or car rests, and which provides a yielding support that is adapted to take up the vibration of the car, due to the'irregularities in the road or to other causes.

The car shown in Fig. at is designed principally for passenger traffic, and therefore the general form and construction of its frame differs somewhat from the car shown in Fig.

2); but the manner of securing the armature, commutator, and bearing-wheels to a sleeve common to all of said parts and adapting this sleeve to revolve around a fixed axle is the same in both instances.

The railsJ for the bearin g-wheels have preferably a laterally-proj ectin gflan ge e.,whose u nder surfaceis designed to serve as a bearing for supplemental devices to prevent the car leaving the track when rounding curves or going at a high rate of speed. In the former patents, Nos. 406,802 and 4065015 granted to me July 9, 1889, I disclose ameans for accomplishing the desired result; but I will now disclose a means which is more applicable and produces results not otherwise obtainable. lhis improved construction consists in securing to the bottom of the frame or casing at points near the sides thereof suitable brackets K, in which are formed open-top chambers 9, that lie under the flange c of the rail and extend any suitable length along the sides of the car. In these chambers, of which there may be any desired number, a supply of oil or other lubricating material is placed, and within this body of oil is a sphere L, which is journaled to rotate in the chamber and is partially submerged, whereby when this sphere comes into contact with the under surface of the flange of the rail a rotary movement is imparted to the sphere, whereby it transfers to said surface a sufficient supply of lubricant to prevent undue friction between the sphere and flange of the rail. \Vhatever jar may be occasioned by the sphere contacting with the flange of the rail will be taken up by the springs H, upon which the weight of the ear is supported, as before stated.

Another change of construction in the pres ent case relates to the form of the front or point of the locomotive or front car and of the rear of the rear car, if desired. In my former patents, Nos. 376,567, 391,391, and IOQSOI, I described and claimed these fronts or points as being tapered to divide the air and cause the same to partake of an upward and downward movement, respectively; but I have since found by experiment that better results are obtained by arranging this pointed end or front in avertical planein contradistinction to a horizontal plane described and shown in said patents. In other words, in the present case the front M iswedge-shaped in horizontal section, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, and the advantage of this construction is that such a front divides the body of air and throws the divided current laterally toward and beyond the sides of the locomotive or car, thereby preventing the air from rushing under the locomotive or car to retard the movement of the same. The construction also tends to prevent the locomotive or car jumping the track as increased traction is 0btained to hold the locomotive or car to the track. This pointed end or front may have a pivoted connection with the body of the lecomotive or car, so as to enable the said front to be moved in horizontal planes to the right and left to correspond with the direction of travel of the train when rounding curves, the. As the air is caused to take a lateral instead of an upward and downward movement, the loss of power to overcome theairbeing forced under the car is done away with, this result being due to the parabolic or wedge-shaped front, several modified forms of which are illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7; but in all cases the essential feature is the placing of the front with its under flat surface next to the road-bed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8.

The improved system thus described enables me to propel an electrically-operated ear or train at a high rate of speed with but slight friction between the wearing parts and without the atmospheric resistance heretofore mentioned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In electric-railway systems, a stationary axle or shaft, in combination with a sleeve mounted to revolve upon said axle and bean ing-wheels, and an armature fixed to and revolving with the sleeve.

2. In electric-railway systems, the combi nation, with a locomotive or car having astationary axle, of a loose sleeve having bearing wheels fixed thereto at opposite ends, and an armature secured to the sleeve near the center thereof.

3. An e1ectrically-propelled locomotive or car having an armature, commutator. and bearing-wheels secured together and adapted to revolve around a stationary axle or support.

t. In an electrically-opcrated locomotive or car, the combination, with a stationary axle or support, of a sleeve carrying an armature and bearing-wheels, said sleeve having an oilreservoir formed therein and communicating with the bearings.

5. An electrieally-operated vehicle having its end formed of upper andlower horizontal walls and having its sides converging.

(3. An electrieally-operated vehicle having an end capable of movement in horizontal planes.

7. An electricallyoperated vehicle having a pivoted front end adapted to be moved in horizontal planes.

8. In an electrically-operated vehicle, the combination of a frame or casing, a stationary axle, and springs or cushions between said ends and the frame or casing, whereby said springs form a yielding support for the casing.

9. In electric-railway systems, the combination of a locomotive or car having a frame or casing provided with internal housings, a stationary axle, a yielding bearing between the ends of the axle and the casing, and bearingwheels fixed to a loose sleeve upon the axle and adapted to revolve within the housings.

10. In electric-railway systems, a rail havin g a lateral flange whose under surface forms a supplemental bearing-surface, in combination with an oil-reservoir supported from the locomotive or car, and a roller-bearing within the oil of the reservoir, adapted to be brought into engagement with the supplemental bearin g-surface.

11. In combination with a car or vehicle and a rail having a lateral flange, an oil-reservoir supported from the Vehicle, and a sphere adapted to be revolved Within the oil to transfer a portion thereof to the flange of the rail.

12. A-vehicle having an open-top reservoir along its sides beneath the body thereof, and a rail having a lateral flange, in combination With a sphere mounted in the oil-reservoir so as to be partially submerged, said sphere transferring alubrioant from the reservoir to the rail when brought'into contact therewith, substantially as herein described.

DAVID G. WEEMS.

Witnesses:

BENJ. J. DAsHIELL, J12, J AMES G. REICI-I. 

